Christian Taylor competes in the men's triple jump at the Olympic Games Rio 2016 at the Olympic Stadium on Aug. 16, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro.
The stars were out in Doha for the first Diamond League event of the season, with Team USA Olympians earning 11 top-three finishes.
Reigning Olympic champion Michelle Carter was the first winner in Doha, taking first place in the shot put with a season's-best throw of 19.32 meters. Anita Marton of Hungary took second with 18.99 and Aliona Dubitskaya placed third with 18.90.
“Starting the season with a season best makes me feel so good, knowing that my training paid off," Carter told the IAAF. "I’m looking forward to better results the rest of the season.”
To nobody's surprise, two-time Olympic champion Christian Taylor won the triple jump, his final-round jump edging out the field in 17.25. Omar Craddock leapt to second place in 17.08, while Azerbaijan's Alexis Copello reached 16.81 for third.
Keni Harrison kept up her winning ways, taking the 100-meter hurdles in 12.59 amidst a stacked field. Cindy Roleder of Germany came in second in 12.90, while Sherika Nelvis was third in 12.91 and Christina Manning fourth in 13.05. The current world-record holder, Harrison dominated the same event at the Drake Relays the weekend prior.
Olympic gold medalist Kerron Clement placed second in the men's 400 hurdles, clocking in at 49.40. Qatar's Abderrahaman Samba took the top spot in 48.44, while L.J. Van Zyl of South Africa placed third in 49.49.
Paul Chelimo fought hard in the men's 3,000-meter, the event in which he won silver in Rio, and took home another second-place finish in 7:31.57. Ronald Kwemoi of Kenya took first in 7:28.73, and Yomif Kejelcha of Ethiopia third in 7:32.27.
Fellow Olympic silver medalist Sandi Morris also nabbed a second-place finish in the pole vault, pushing eventual winner Ekaterini Stefanidi of Greece to the very end. Stefanidi cleared 4.80, while Morris topped out at 4.75. Cuba's Yarisley Silva took third with a max height of 4.65.
In the men's 400-meter, LaShawn Merritt was almost able to catch Steven Gardiner of the Bahamas, but finished second in 44.78 to Gardiner's 44.60. Tony McQuay rounded out the top three in 44.92.
Justin Gatlin took fourth place in the men's 100, missing the top three by one hundredth of a second; his 10.14 to Femi Ogunode of Qatar's 10.13. Akani Simbine of South Africa took first in 9.99, ahead of Jamaica's Asafa Powell in 10.08.
In the men's 1,500-meter, the top U.S. finisher was Ben Blankenship's 13th place in 3:42.20. Charlene Lipsey placed sixth in the women's 800 in a personal-best time of 2:00.29. Joanna Atkins took eighth in the women's 200 in 23.32. Olympic bronze medalist Emma Coburn finished fifth in the women's 3,000-meter steeplechase in 9:14.53. Erik Kynard placed sixth in the men's high jump with 2.26.
